Lawsuit lodged against Bridgewater-Raynham over last year’s hazing incident

Monday

Nov 26, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 26, 2012 at 10:39 PM

Jeff Francis, former head wrestling coach for Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School has officially filed a lawsuit over the hazing incident that cost him his job in January.

Amy Carboneau

When practice starts at the high school Monday, it will be the first time in 33 years that former head wrestling coach Jeff Francis won’t be on the mats to open the season for the Trojans, a team he has coached to 21 league championships.

He is, however, hitting the mats with the school. Francis has filed a lawsuit in Taunton Superior Court claiming he was unfairly fired for a hazing incident involving wrestlers last season. The incident temporarily shut down one of the most successful sports programs in the state.

Francis lost his job in January and the four captains of the varsity team were suspended for school for eight days after school officials learned that some of the veterans on the team had struck under-performing teammates with belts and brooms.

Bridgewater police investigated and released a report several months later, but didn’t find enough evidence to file any charges.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 13, seeks financial damages for breach of contract, and for “negligent inflection of emotional distress.” Francis was “heartbroken” over what happened, his attorney, James McCarthy, told The Enterprise in October

School Committee member Pat Riley, of Raynham, has said that Francis was fired because he did not report the incident in time. Francis, in a letter his attorney sent to the district in May, argues that he told Athletic Director Dan Buron of the incident once he learned about it.

The incident that happened on Jan. 9, as described in the lawsuit, involved one wrestler hitting another wrestler with a broom, reportedly because of that wrestler’s poor performance. “The assault was voluntary, and no one was forced to participate,” it states.

Francis’ suit seeks $1,725 in contract damages for missing part of the season, and an amount to be determined by a judge for emotional distress. Francis annual pay with the district was $5,753.

Francis re-applied for his job over the summer, but said he never received a call back from the district. That’s because he missed the deadline to apply, says Riley.

The district reportedly later offered Francis the assistant coaching position, but he didn’t take it.

“That’s so insulting for him, it’s unbelievable,” said McCarthy, his attorney. “The guy had 25 years, unblemished record, never had a complaint from anybody. Ever. It’s pathetic, it really is.”

Superintendent Jacqueline Forbes said Wednesday that she had not yet seen the lawsuit and declined to comment on the action taken.